American soprano Chanae Curtis studied at Ashland University, Ohio and completed her master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music, New York City. In 2016, she graduated from the M.A. Opera Course at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff, where she was taught by and continues to work with Suzanne Murphy.
This season, Chanae makes her debut at the Metropolitan Opera New York performing the role of Annie whilst covering the role of Lily in Porgy & Bess. Other recent engagements include her Welsh National Opera debut as Anna Gomez in The Consul, as part of their ‘Freedom’ season. She also created and performed a recording of an original sound-work to accompany an exhibition celebrating the life and work of the artist Gwen John. Chanae was a member of the Glyndebourne Festival Chorus for their 2018 productions of Vanessa, Saul and Giulio Cesare. She also joined English National Opera as an ensemble member for their productions of Porgy & Bess and Britten’s War Requiem for Autumn 2018 and ensemble for Dutch National Opera’s Porgy & Bess at the beginning of this year.
Roles whilst at the RWCMD include Alice Ford in Falstaff, Lady Billows in Albert Herring and Forester’s Wife/ Mrs Pasek in The Cunning Little Vixen. Other roles include, Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro at Central City Opera, Colorado, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte at the Oberlin in Italy Festival, Mimi in La Bohème at the Manhattan School of Music, Flora in a concert performance of La Traviata with Ashland Symphony Orchestra and cover Tatyana in Eugene Onegin for Mid Wales Opera. Roles performed in opera scenes include the Title Role in Anna Bolena and Violetta in La Traviata at the Scuola di belcanto, Italy, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte at the Chautaqua Institution Voice Program, Sister Rose in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking and Sister Margaretta in The Sound of Music for Central City Opera, Adina in L’elisir d’Amore, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus and Zerlina in Don Giovanni at Ashland University.
Chanae has won numerous awards, including the Dame Shirley Bassey Vocal Scholarship, Eileen Price Lieder Prize and Dolan Evans Award while at RWCMD, the Rotary Club Prize in the 2016 ‘Citta di Alcamo’ International Opera Singing Competition in Italy and also in 2016, the prestigious Pathfinder Award sponsored by the Arts Council of England.
Concert highlights include Strauss’ Four Last Songs with the Royal Welsh College Symphony Orchestra at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Strauss’ Morgen for HRH the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace, London and the Te Deum from Verdi’s Four Sacred Pieces with the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Chanae made her recital début at St. Martin-in-the-Fields singing works by Samuel Barber and Strauss’ Four Last Songs. She has performed Verdi’s cavatina Ernani, Ernani Involami on BBC Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’ and took part in a televised Masterclass with David Pountney as part of the 2017 BBC Cardiff Singer of The World Competition.
Her Oratorio work includes Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Manhattan School of Music Symphony Orchestra, the Fauré Requiem and Bach’s Magnificat with the Ashland Symphony Orchestra and Handel’s Messiah and Seven Last Words of Christ with the Galion Community Orchestra, Ohio.
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